Many conventional autonomous mower navigation systems and methods, or systems and methods for confining a robot to a work area, involve complex navigation systems. These complex and expensive systems generally require that the autonomous device be aware of its current location on a given map and can cause the autonomous device to move in a specific predetermined path. Such methods often include Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and can require significant computational capacity and relatively expensive hardware.
Other traditional systems for robot confinement utilize simple periodic signals to determine a robot's position relative to a wire. These methods are prone to interference from other transmitters, for example, other autonomous device wires, dog fences, and the like. Conventional efforts to reduce the effects of interference have included the use of modulated codes and relatively complex signals, however, these signals require additional computing power to process. Thus, there remains a need for an accurate, efficient and cost-effective solution for autonomous mower navigation.